RALEIGH – State transportation officials are warning drivers to be extremely cautious if they must travel on N.C. 12 along North Carolina’s Outer Banks as a powerful storm is bringing dangerous winds and heavy rain to the coast.
People traveling should be patient and never drive through flooded roads or rushing water. Travelers should not try to go around barricades or road-closed signs, as these are put in place to protect people. Most flood-related drownings occur when someone drives through standing or rushing water.
This morning, crews with the N.C. Department of Transportation have been using front-end loaders and other equipment to clear sand that has blown onto N.C. 12 on the northern part of Hatteras Island in the Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge.
The road has not experienced ocean overwash and is open, but conditions could worsen and force the road’s closure before the storm exits the coast Sunday night into Monday morning.
The storm is forecast to bring heavy rain and winds to coastal North Carolina throughout the weekend.
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.